Monday, November 10, 2014
I had breakfast in bed this morning. And I watched the first snow of the
year fall outside my bedroom window.
The world beyond my window is full of gray light now. Meteorological winter doesn’t begin for
another three weeks. And
astronomical winter doesn’t begin until three weeks beyond that. But the flakes beyond my window tell a
different story. The growing
season has decisively ended.
I feel a bit sad this morning. I was hoping winter’s monochromatic hues of whites and grays
would hold off at least a few weeks longer. I already feel myself missing the color green. I’ll have to find a way to keep green
in my life. Decorating my
apartment with green hues would be a good thing.
This past weekend was a bit more eventful than I had
hoped. I developed what initially
felt like a deep cramp in my right foot on Saturday. When bed rest and some degree of gentle care seemed to make
for no improvement by Sunday morning I decided it was time to take a more aggressive
approach to my care. So I went to
Abbott Hospital. I have learned an
incredible amount in these last sixteen months. One important lesson I have finally internalized is the need
to be very proactive on occasion.
I do not take my health for granted. Your health is one of your most precious gifts!
Despite the issue with my foot it is still my intention to
compete in the Mister Minneapolis Eagle contest this coming weekend. I must simply be very careful and
mindful about how much I push myself.
When your feet are in pain it can be difficult to live a very active,
mobile life.
……
Yesterday, while doing my laundry, I surfed around on the
Internet in search of coverage of the twenty-five year anniversary of the
collapse of the Berlin Wall. I
found some coverage about Mikhail Gorbachev warning the world of a potential
new Cold War. I sense his concern
to be well founded. What a new
cold war might look like is still very much a question from the realm of
imagination. I believe, however,
that religion may be a critical element of any future polarization in the
geopolitics of the world.
Polarization of the world’s population according to religion has been a
topic of greater interest ever since the events of 2001.
I have written a fair bit in my blog about the phenomenon of
religion and how it informs politics, healthcare and the like. On occasion I find myself grow weary of
the ongoing ‘discourse’ between the (supposedly) Christian West and the world
of Islam. I do not believe either
major religion has an exclusive claim or understanding of a higher power. I believe in the possibility of
coexistence even when all evidence might seem to point to a contrary
conclusion.
Simultaneous to the ongoing conflict between Christianity
and Islam is the polarization of the world between the haves and have
nots. I wrote about this issue
recently after I attended a presentation on the issue of inequality in America
held at the Basilica of St. Mary.
The abuse of wealth to distort the democratic process is a very real
problem which, in my opinion, does not receive adequate coverage in the press
in this country. But this is not
at all surprising considering how much of the media in the United States is
intimately intertwined with the influence of a relatively small number of
highly powerful corporations.
As the holidays near I find myself feeling both excited and
sad. I am excited by the beauty,
generosity and cheer that the holidays can often bring. But I also feel sad because I have no
plans to reach out to my paternal family of origin. My ancient wounds need to heal. And it appears best that I do that without certain people
being a part of my life. This
saddens me immensely. But I
believe it is in my highest interest that I remain faithful to my choice to
walk away from my father and my father’s side of my family.
In the journey of healing from trauma we will occasionally
(or even often?) find ourselves facing some very difficult choices. This reality isn’t much different from
the reality of life in general though.
Our lives are filled with light as well as darkness. And sometimes it is difficult to
distinguish between the two.
As we approach the darkest days of the year I find myself
reflecting on the ways I can nurture the light within me.
Post Script
Fifty
Day Challenge, Day #46
My healthy
activities for today:
§
I
attended a networking lunch event at the offices of the Minnesota Council of
Nonprofits
§
I
attended my first day of training for my seasonal job at Macy’s
§
I
dressed warmly and mindfully in response to the cold and snow
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I invite you to accompany me as I document my own journey of healing. My blog is designed to offer inspiration and solace to others. If you find it of value I welcome you to share it with others. Aloha!